I was introduced to backpacking about 15 years ago when I met my
husband. We have been backpacking, canoe camping, car camping,
hiking, and participating in all sorts of outdoor activities ever
since. We live in a border town (US & Canada), so we spend lots
of
time in both countries for our outdoor excursions. When making a
decision on gear, I like
to go lightweight and practical. I don't like to carry around
extraneous bits and pieces.

The literature also includes the following health benefits for the
Jocalat Bars:

190 calories

Antioxidants
contained in the chocolate and nuts

High in
fiber, 20% of the recommended daily value

Omega 6
essential fatty acids

Plant
source protein from the nuts contained in the bars

13
essential vitamins and minerals

Phytonutrients to promote a
healthy immune system

LÄRABAR emphasizes that
the Jocalat
bars are 100% organic, contain no added sugar, are 90% raw, are gluten,
soy, and dairy free, contain non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms),
are vegan and Kosher, and last but certainly not least they contain
Fair Trade Certified cocoa.

First taste test:
Since I was hungry for a snack after work when I picked up the bars, I
opened the Chocolate flavour box and tore into one. These are tasty
bars! The consistency is smooth and the nuts add a nice crunch. They
are
similar to a brownie in texture. I look forward to getting into the
other flavours!

I plan on
consuming the
bars while hiking, backpacking, mountain biking,
canoeing, running, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding and
for any other activity that comes my way that I feel I need a
nutritious snack on. I will be checking on the taste, texture,
ease of use, packability, durability, and appropriateness to the
activity while consuming these bars.

FIELD REPORTMarch 9, 2008Testing Locations:I consumed the bars on outings hiking, cross country skiing,
snowshoeing, and snowboarding. The hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing have
been primarily in the Hiawatha Highlands and Voyageur Trail system
areas in the Algoma region. These two areas have many linked trails meandering through red and white pine old-growth forests
and dense
boreal stands of jack pine and spruce linked by a network of rivers,
lakes, and
wetlands. I also ate a bar on an afternoon snowshoe trek Goose Creek State Forest,
Frederic Michigan. It is part of Michigan's Shore-to-Shore Riding/Hiking
Trail. The area I snowshoed in was a relatively flat section of trail that meanders through pine
and spruce forest with fairly open areas under the trees.

Snowboarding
this year has been exclusively at Searchmont Ski Resort in Searchmont,
Ontario. 'Searchmont' as the locals call it is an 18 run mountain with
an elevation of 488 m (1600 ft) about 45 minutes north of Sault Ste.
Marie, Ontario.

The section of
the Appalachian Trail we hiked on over the holidays meanders
along ridges with an elevation range from 762-1372 m (2500-4500
ft)
through the Chattahoochee National Forest. Most of the leaves were off of the trees and the trail was
leaf covered, thicker in some areas and slippery when damp. There were
muddy sections and several creek and river crossings as well as some
beautiful areas of fast moving water and waterfalls. The forest is
mostly hardwood. The creeks and rivers have dense rhododendron bushes
lining their banks.
The trail we traveled on was well marked and relatively
clear of downed trees, branches and other such obstacles.

In addition to consuming the bars while doing outdoor activities, I
used them as a snack in a pinch while at work or running errands.Testing Conditions:
Weather conditions in and around Sault Ste Marie, Ontario that I have
been out in have ranged from 5 to -20 C (41 to -4 F). We
have had the whole gamut of winter weather conditions from cold, clear
days to full on snowfall. We have also had a few milder days thrown in
as well. Although we have had much colder temperatures (-30 c (-22 F)),
I generally limit my outdoor time when it is that cold out.
Temperatures around -15 C (5 F) are about my limit.

In Georgia over the holidays, the temperatures ranged from 19 to 9 C
(66 to 48 F) during the day, with wind speeds around 13 mph (20 km/h).
The skies ranged from brief periods of sunshine and light cloud cover
to overcast, and rain.

Before Consuming the Bars:
Over the past three months, I have endeavoured to keep at least one bar
with me at all times in case a snacking opportunity arose. Many times a
bar would spend a few days bouncing around in my day pack with all the
other small items I carry in the top pocket. The packaging always held
up well with no tears or holes occurring. After a few days of being
with my stuff in a pack or pocket, the bar would sometimes be a little
mashed around the edges, but they still tasted great!

The packaging is very easy to open, just grab a corner and tear it
open. I was able to accomplish this easily with and without gloves on.
The consistency of the bars remained the same whether they were room
temperature or colder from being in my pack while skiing, snowboarding,
or snowshoeing. They were just 'cold' LÄRABARs!
The ingredient listing for the bars indicates that each one is a full
serving of fruit. There is no sugar added to any of the flavours. I
also noted they are high in fiber, which can be a challenge to get
enough of at times. Every item on their ingredient list I can identify,
a definite plus in my books. While Consuming the Bars:
There was nothing complicated about eating the bars. Once I had the
package open, I would just munch away. Sometimes I would use the
packaging to hold the bar instead of touching the bar with my fingers,
especially if I was wearing gloves, mostly to keep any food residue off
them. For the most part, the bars were consistently the same texture.
Some bars had a few more nuts than others and some nuts were larger
than others. They have a similar consistency to a really moist brownie.

In order of preference after consuming all 64 LÄRABARs:Chocolate: After eating as many of the LÄRABARs as I did, I found this one to be my favourite out of the four flavours. It was the chocolatiest.Chocolate Orange: This flavour has a bit of a tangy bite to it. I liked these almost as much as the plain chocolate ones. Chocolate Mint: Normally
this is my favourite flavour to be combined with chocolate. This was
tasty enough, but it had a bit of an aftertaste. I still liked them,
but I given the choice, I would reach for the plain chocolate first. Chocolate Coffee: After
eating a few of these ones, I finally connected this flavour to post
snack acid reflux. I'm not normally a coffee drinker for many reasons,
and acid reflux when drinking coffee on an empty stomach is one of
them. Since most of the time I was eating the LÄRABARs
as a snack on an empty stomach, I discovered fairly quickly it was the
culprit in my discomfort. These were the last of the bars I finished.
The flavour was fine; they kind of reminded me of a chocolate covered
espresso bean.

After Consuming the Bars:
Other than the acid reflux caused by the Chocolate Coffee flavour, the
bars provided me with a full feeling for a couple of hours with normal
activity provided I had eaten an adequate meal earlier in the day. By
normal activity I mean walking, hiking, easy snowshoeing, or working.
On snowboarding days or heavy cross country skiing, I found I needed
more than just a LÄRABAR
to get me through an afternoon. When hiking or backpacking, I would eat
one bar as a snack mid morning and another mid afternoon. I also
sometimes ate one as an after supper dessert treat.

At no time did the LÄRABARs leave me with a gassy, bloated, or upset stomach.
The packaging of the bars was minimal enough to crumple up and stow in
a pocket until I could find a garbage can. I'm still finding LÄRABARwrappers in the pockets of my various jackets and pants!

This
concludes this test series. Thank you to
BackpackGearTest and Humm Foods, Inc. for the opportunity to test the
LÄRABAR Jocalat Bars.

Product tested and reviewed in each Formal Test Report has been provided free of charge by the manufacturer to BackpackGearTest.org. Upon completion of the Test Series the writer is permitted to keep the product. Owner Reviews are based on product owned by the reviewer personally unless otherwise noted.